Zoogdierbescherming Nederland works to conserve, protect and strengthen wild native mammals and their habitats. From the otter in the water to the hedgehog in the garden and the bat in the shed: the better mammals are doing, the better the nature around us is doing.
Agriculture & Soil
Zoogdierbescherming Nederland grows out of a long tradition. The organisation traces its roots to 1952 and for many years continued as the Zoogdiervereniging. In January 2026 the society chose a new course: protection and research were separated. Since then, Zoogdierbescherming Nederland focuses fully on protection, while its sister organisation Zodion concentrates on monitoring and research. This created sharper focus and more impact for the protection of wild mammals.
The society wants all native mammal species to have room and to remain present for the long term, and for people and wild mammals to live together in the landscape as natural allies.
In this work, Zoogdierbescherming plays four roles:
driving force behind projects and actions that protect and strengthen mammal populations
connector between knowledge, policy and society, including between parties that do not naturally find one another
storyteller for the wild mammals
watchdog that checks whether protection actually works and takes action where it does not
From otter to bat, Zoogdierbescherming makes sure wild mammals have a voice and a future.
Wild mammals are an essential link in nature. They live all around us, even if you do not always see them. Yet their populations and habitats are under great pressure, both worldwide and in the Netherlands.
Many species are in sharp decline. In the Netherlands, 30 percent of wild mammal species are on the Red List. Without targeted protection, some species risk disappearing from our landscape.
Habitats are shrinking and fragmenting. Mammals need space and connected nature. Where habitats disappear or get cut up, it becomes harder and harder for animals to survive and move around.
Protection too often stays on paper. Rules to protect mammals exist, but they are not always carried out or enforced. Without a watchdog keeping track, protection never reaches the real world.
The better mammals are doing, the better the world in which they, and we, live is doing.
When you shop as usual through Terry, part of the shop's marketing budget goes to Zoogdierbescherming Nederland, as a donation and at no extra cost to you.
Your contribution helps to:
protect and restore wild mammals and their habitats
tell the stories of wild mammals and involve more people
move protection from paper into practice
find solutions where people and wild mammals share the landscape
For example, a contribution can help make possible a protection action for an endangered species, or the restoration of a habitat. Every step widens the room for wild mammals in the Netherlands.
In this way you support not a single animal, but a resilient landscape where people and wild mammals can move forward together.
Zoogdierbescherming builds on more than seventy years of knowledge and experience, going back to its founding in 1952. Over the years the organisation grew from sharing knowledge through gatherings and journals such as Lutra and Zoogdier towards active protection and policy work.
As a membership society, Zoogdierbescherming runs on a broad network of members, volunteers and regional working groups, from the Pine Marten Working Group to bat and fieldwork groups across the country. The work is done together with other conservationists, partner organisations and governments, and with sister organisation Zodion, which provides data and research.
Zoogdierbescherming works through four roles, driving force, connector, storyteller and watchdog, and actively involves the wider public, whether people live in a nature reserve, in the city or in the countryside.
Supporting through Terry is a great first step. Want to do even more? You can also:
Become a member of Zoogdierbescherming Nederland and strengthen the society.
Volunteer your time or join one of the regional working groups.
Make wild mammals welcome around you, for example with a hedgehog-friendly garden or room for bats.
Share the stories of wild mammals with people around you and help give them a voice.
Zoogdierbescherming Nederland is a membership society focused entirely on protecting wild native mammals and their habitats. The organisation has been independent since January 2026, as the successor to the Zoogdiervereniging, and is based in Zeist, the Netherlands.
Your contribution goes to the society's protection work: protecting and restoring species and habitats, telling their stories and keeping watch on whether protection is enforced.
Support Zoogdierbescherming with every purchase
Shop as usual through Terry and give wild mammals room to thrive.
